[Unknown Title] 80807 
If any have begun meeting the great  
edifice of their spiritual temple 
and then found that it was an  
undertaking beyond the compass  
of their means and capacities — let it 
be well known that it is not to be  
attributed to a [?rant] of the facilities  
of obtaining all needed information  
in reference to these practiculars. It  
is not because the system is defective  
or that it is designed to conceal  
the perils of the battle field or  
the labors and toils attendant  
upon the building. Be it well  
understood, that if the man who  
intended to build a tower began  
his work and then ceased through  
inactivity to accomplish it,  the fault  
of his failure is ascritable solely to  
the fact he omitted the all  
important duly of first seating  
himself deliberately and estimating the cost.  
 
 
 
 
Let it be borne in mind that if the  
King has gone forth with a feeble  
army of 10,00 men, and met his  
powerful adversary who is marching 
against him with double that number  
of forces, and then in the contest,  
both he + his army have fallen victims  
to his ill advised rashness  
and inconsiderate haste, then will  
he feel that his defeat is directly  
traceable to the fact that he failed  
to consider maturely his state of  
preparation. He did not duly estimate  
the dangers and the hardships  
and the magnitude of this warfare.  
In both instances means of information  
in regard to the conflicts to be met  
and the losses to be incurred  
were abundantly available and  
had they prudently availed themselves  
of the aid at hand and counted the cost  
they might have saved themselves the  
danger, disaster, and disgrace.  
 
 
 
 
The whole scope and tendency of the  
two parables is to guard men against  
a hasty and inconsiderate profession  
of Religion. There is danger in many  
cases of our mistaking the meaning  
of a certain Class of Scripture  
passages. The Narratives of the  
Old Testament Scriptures are often  
spiritualized and no doubt often  
distorted. But however objectionable  
the practice in the hands of  
the unskilful, there can be no risk  
of doing wrong in giving to all  
the parables of the New Testament  
a spiritual application. This was  
the object of all these passages, +  
by Parable our Lord chose most  
frequently to convey some of  
his most important instructions.  
And if some of these Parables 
shd be deemed obscure, these two  
at least are so explained by  
our Lord that there can be 
 
 
 
 
no doubt that his object was to  
teach us that it was of the  
last importance to count the  
cost involved in making a  
Profession of Religion.  
To give to this important subject  
the impressiveness due to it, [upon] we lay 
[our minds] down design illustrating  
3 propositions, which grow out of  
the passage.  
I. The cost of the enterprize of making  
a profession of Religion is by not  
means inconsiderable. 
II. The evils of omitting to count  
the cost are very great.  
III. The advantage of the Enterprize  
more than counterbalance the  
cost however great. 
Let us observe then that there are two  
considerations which cover the whole  
cost of a Christion Profession. The first  
is what we are to renounce, and the  
 
 
 
 
second is, What we are to expect. We  
inquire then 
1. What are we to renounce in  
becoming Professors of Religion? And  
I answer generally we are to renounce the  
false mascims of the world. That there  
is an antagonism between the world  
and the Religion of Jesus Christ is  
an assured fact, which is attested by  
the declarations of God’s word, and confirmed  
by the daily observation of each  
of us. This Religion is pure and spiritual,  
the world is corrupt + carnal. This  
Religion strikes at the root of darling  
sins, and cherished principles of error,  
the world is ever apologizing for  
human corruption, and cleaving fast  
to its erroneous and destructive maxims.  
This Religion aims at the general  
and universal overthrow of Satan’s Kingdom  
by the establishment of the Kingdom  
of Righteousness Purity, Peace,  
and Truth,. The World is ever arraying 
 
 
 
 
itself in opposition to this great Enterprize.  
Hence it is that Christ declared to His  
disciples “My Kingdom is not of this  
world.” And when He enjoins, upon  
them “Love not the world— neither  
the things of the world,” He gives as  
the reason for the injunction “[if any]  
whosoever will be the friend of the  
world, is the enemy of God.”  
We see then there is a recognized  
opposition between the World + the  
Religion of Jesus Christ. And the  
general principle laid down in  
the New Testament is without any  
doubt strictly applicable to this  
subject— “No man can serve two  
masters— for either he will [love] hate  
the one, and love the other, or else  
he will hold to the one and despise  
the other.” We consider it then clearly  
deducible from all this that when a  
man is contemplating a profession of  
 
 
 
of Religion, he must cease to be  
governed by the principles of the  
world, and renounce all their 
false mascims. There are principles  
by which men of the world profess  
to be governed which we are not  
to renounce by any means. But then  
these are principles which are borrowed  
from the Christian System— and  
are True in themselves. And hence  
they are not to be classed among  
the principles of the world, and are  
to be adhered to by a Christian in  
all cases + circumstances. And the  
proof that they do not constitute  
any part of the system by which  
the world is really governed, is to  
be found in the glaring fact  
that while approbation is yielded  
to their truthfulness and excellence  
and external respect is manifested  
for them— + they are enrolled among  
their principle in form— there is no  
 
 
internal and influential power exerted  
over the heart + no fruits exhibited  
in the Life, by these principles. When  
therefore you are warned to renounce  
the false principles and  
maxims of the world you are  
to regard the prohibition as extending  
only to those which are manifestly  
in opposition to the spirit of the  
Religion of Xt. as exhibited in  
the New Testament. I particularize  
then (a) by asserting that no man need  
make the attempt to become a Christian  
unless he is willing to repudiate the rules  
of the school of honor. One would hardly  
believe that in this day of enlightened  
Christianity + civilization, men are  
willing to be governed— yea! glory  
in being governed by the maxims which  
prevailed in the darkest ages of  
Pagan Mythology + Superstition.  
Yet this is a position susceptible  
 
 
 
 
of demonstration abundantly clear.  
Revenge is recorded as among those  
virtues recommended by the Heathen writers as every  
way worthy of a great Philosopher.  
When however the Gospel was promulgated  
its precepts taught that  
vengeance did not belong to man.  
“Vengce is mine! I will repay” saith the Lord.  
Confirming [followed up by] the earnest and affectionate  
counsel of Paul “Dearly  
beloved! avenge not yourselves!” And  
all this ratified by the solemn  
declarations of our Savior “For if  
ye forgive not men their trespasses  
neither will your heavenly Father,  
forgive your trespasses.” Now let  
it not be imagined that antagonism  
so plainly set forth here  
between these positions obtains  
simply between Paganism and  
Christianity. No! unfortunately the  
modern world illumined as if it is  
by the Light of the Gospel, abounds  
 
 
 
 
in the advocates of the ancient heathen  
creed that Revenge is right and  
honorable, and none but a base  
and cowardly miscreant will for  
a moment suffer himself to be  
insulted or injured. I am not now  
to cointant this principle. I am only  
to show that it is one of the maxims  
of the world. It is so most  
clearly and this will be readily  
conceded by the men of the world  
and few would hesitate to confess  
that this is a sentiment  
which they glory to avow. I  
declare to you then by way of warning  
that this is one of the principles  
of the world which must renounce  
before you enter upon  
a Chrsitian Profession. Many men  
thoughtlessly assume the Chritian  
name forgetting this fact— but I  
would have you know that the  
 
 
 
 
sentiment of revenge which actuates  
the men of honor as the world calls  
them, is in deadly hostility to the  
Gospel of Peace. You cannot be  
a Christian and indulge it.  
You cannot be a soldier under  
the Prince of Peace and cherish  
the foul spirit of malignant hate  
against your brother man. “He that  
hateth his Bro whom he hath seen  
how can he love God whom he  
hath not seen?” 
Let me not be mistaken. Xt’s religion  
does not make a man either a Poltroon  
or a coward. But his principles teach  
him to respect the right feelings  
+ interests of others so that he will  
never give any occection for insults  
and even in the worst of cases,  
he will suffer injuries so long  
as they are tolerable, + his limit  
of endurance is the limit of the Bible.  
 
 
 
 
“If thy Bro trespass against thee seven  
times a day and seven days a day  
turn again & repent thou shalt forgive him nay  
seventy times seven!” And the criterion  
of resistance is purely  
self-defence. When therefore the  
great Enterprize of entering upon  
the Christian Life, is contemplated,  
let every man remember  
that this is one of the principles  
which must be utterly renounced.  
“The fruit of the Spirit is Love  
Joy— peace— long suffering— gentleness  
goodness meekness” While “the  
works of the flesh (or world) are  
hatred variance wrath strife  
emulations envying murder”  
The case is made out them  
with sufficient clearness  
that in counting the cost  
of making a Profession of Religion  
we are to renounce false  
maxisms of the school of honor 
 
 
 
 
(b) Not more opposed to the spirit of the  
Gospel is the school of honor, than  
the school of Fashionable Amusement,  
and I honestly declare it  
as my conviction that those  
who would make a credible profession  
of Religion, must renounce  
the principles, maxisms and practices  
of this school of Pleasure  
the best way to show  this will be to  
exhibit the influence it exerts. For  
if any systems produce effects that  
are the direct reverse of those  
produced by the Religion of  
Jesus Christ, that will be  
plainest proof that be who  
would engage in the latter  
must renounce the former And I think  
I can show that the indulgence  
in fashionable amusements  
is invariably productive of  
effects always injurious if not  
 
 
 
 
fatal to our spiritual interests.  
There are two principal forms in which this  
propensity is indulged viz. Theatrical  
amusements, and Promiscuous  
Dancing Parties. With regard  
to the former little need be  
said to show its antagonism  
to the Spirit of the Gospel.  
Nothing indeed in a Community  
like ours— where the  
temptation does not present  
itself. But the indulgence in  
the fashionable amusement  
of promiscuous dancing, is  
a practice which has prevailed  
here for all the period of  
your existences as a Community  
and is now rife in our midst.  
I shall therefore occupy your  
time for a short period in  
attempting to show that it is  
contrary to the spirit of the  
 
 
 
 
Religion of Jesus Christ. Let me  
make one remark just here. Whatever  
I may utter on this subject at this  
time, is intended not so much to  
assail the practice in general— or to  
rebuke those who choose, out of the  
pale of the Church, to indulge  
themselves in it. WIth them I have  
nothing to do save in the general  
discharge of my duty to point out  
the evils of a given course of conduct  
and to endeavor to convince  
them of it. Nor is it my desire  
to say a word or to adopt any  
manner which might by any means  
wound the feelings of any individual  
in the house. I would observe  
however that what I shall say  
on this subject may be not only  
used as a caution to any person  
who contemplates making a Profession  
of Religion— warning them  
 
 
 
 
that they must renounce all  
such pursuits before they do it—  
but if any individual has been so unwise  
as to have made a Profession  
of Religion without having counted  
this part of the cost— they  
may take it as a clear indication  
that they have done wrong  
and that they now immediately  
set about the work at once &  
renounce it— because of its  
manifest inconsistency with the  
spirit of the Christian Religion  
I repeat then that the [man] person  
who wishes to be a Christian  
must renounce the practice of  
fashionable amusements  
because it is contrary to the spirit  
of the Bible. I know it has been said  
(and by those too who are high Authority  
on many subjects) that there is no  
positive nor direct prohibition of  
this practice in the word of God. 
 
 
 
 
And suppose we admit this to be true. 
We may answer by saying that at the  
time the New Testament was written  
Christians did not dance! Those were  
times when men were serious in making  
a Profession of Religion. It was  
no light matter to be a Christian.  
It was not fashionable. There was  
some difference between a Christian  
+ a man of the world. Hence as  
this was not a sin of the Church  
then, there was no need for the  
Apostles to write to the Chhs + say “ye  
must not indulge in such amusements.”  
But while it is true, no specific forbidding  
of this particular sin is to be  
found in the Bible, it is no less true  
that the general principle upon which  
it is forbidden is clearly laid down.  
The practice of dancing in promiscuous  
parties is prolific of the following  
effects. 1. It fosters worldly mindedness  
and conformity to the world. And 
 
 
 
 
the Bible says “Be not conformed  
to this world”, “Love not the world  
neither the things of the world”—  
2. This practice had a dissipating  
Tendency upon the mind. And the  
Bible says to Christians “Be sober  
be vigilant XC 3. It [leads us unto] exposes us temptation  
+ we are directed to pray “Lead  
us not into temptation”— 4. It destroys  
our spirituality + zeal.  
This is horse racing— Gambling enough to show that it is  
in its very spirit opposed to the  
spirit of the Gospel + the man  
who loves it must not profess  
Xtianity until he is ready to  
give it up— and the Professor  
of Religion who loves it, must  
now perceive that he has not  
counted the cost + has  
“his First works to do over”  
But I appeal to the experience  
of Xtians— wd you expect a bale  
going Prof. to be very zealous— or  
heavenly minded? Are such the leaders  
in your prayer meeting & Sab. Sch. & Good 
 
 
 
 
Enterprizes? I appeal to the testimony of  
the Ch. universal. The Xtian & evangelical  
Chhs of all denominations  
have borne their testimony against  
it why so? We differ in many points  
but here is one point on which  
all the Chhs that are really pure  
+ spiritual and faithful do agree.  
And I contend that this of  
itself is an overwhelming proof  
that is not allowable for  
those who are professedly the  
followers of Xt. to engage in  
such amusements. Because [Bi??isvsit].  
But I will leave the matter to  
the judgement of the world itself.  
They love a dancing Professor  
because he is like themselves.  
They have no love for his religion.  
They do not love him when he  
is at his prayers or at Church  
or engaged in any of his devotions 
 
 
 
 
But they do not love him and confide  
in him at any time save  
when they themselves are totally  
indifferent to their own salvation.  
Let the conviction and demonstration of  
the Holy Spirit once awaken in the  
[spirit] soul of the man of the world an  
anxiety in regard to his salvation, +  
you no longer see him calling  
for assistance from the dancing  
Professor of Religion. No! Sooner  
would he call for the humblest  
slave in your community in whose  
religion he had confidence, than  
the man who while he wore the  
garb of a Christian, was found  
either indulging himself, or countenancing  
the indulgence in others,  
in these fashionable amusements.  
This is true & cannot be denied;  
Moreover it is found that the  
more flounshing the state of  
spiritual Religion is in any  
Community the more these